I don't usually hunt over any piles of bait... simply because I don't have the time to keep running back and forth to replenish them. I do hunt over and around food plots that I've planted, though. I'm not too keen on hunting over a bait pile... I just think it's boring and unchallenging. For me, it's similar to hunting with a gun... It's not really hunting, it's shooting. (I know, that was all pretty Mountaineer-esque :smiley_blackeye
Some will argue that piles and plots are one in the same... I disagree... But that's a whole 'nother topic.
Mike, I'm guessing that this season will be lightyears different for you compared to seasons in the past. You'll still see deer, and you'll have success I'm sure... But I think hunting over bait piles makes you "used to" seeing deer. So then when you stop, and you don't see deer as often, it may seem a bit more boring. I don't know... Maybe that's not the case. I'm just making assumptions...